Jihad

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Leading Imams have called on British Muslims to show unification in the face of sectarian fighting in a letter urging readers not to join militant groups in Syria and Iraq.

The open letter stressed "the value of unity and perseverance" among all branches of Muslims in a Ramadan appeal for peace.

As we near the end of the first week of Ramadan our message is simple, we have come together to urge British Muslim communities not to fall prey to any form of sectarian divisions or social discord.Here in the UK we are Sunnis and Shias, brothers in Islam - and brothers in Britain too.

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A British man fighting with the Syrian rebels against President Assad has told ITV News that he has no intention of coming home to launch attacks against the UK.

He says he is one of an estimated 300 Brits fighting in the civil war that has devastated the country.

Intelligence agencies here fear that the fighters, many of who are just young men, will return to the UK and plan atrocities on British soil, but the fighter, who calls himself Abu Summayah al Britani, said that was not his intention.

He spoke to UK Editor Lucy Manning from an unknown location inside Syria.

A man who claims to be a British fighter in Syria working with the rebels as they attempt to overthrow President Assad said he is part of an international movement of fighters from all over the world helping the Syrian people, but is "not linked to any one group" of Islamists.

The "fighter", who calls himself Abu Summayah al Britani said:

"There are many, not just British but European from Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Australia all of English speaking, Americans, I bumped into a brother here from Chicago, not just long ago, a few guys from Australia, a few brothers from China, from Malaysia.

"We've come from all over the world. We’ve come from all over the world from different backgrounds, from different nationalities and we have come here to support our brothers and sisters in Syria.

"I am not linked with any group at the moment. I have not pledged my allegiance to any group to Al Qaeda or to ISIS, but I support ISIS with my heart and with my tongue, and with my works".

ISIS are a group of Islamic fighters within Syria who were until recently linked to al-Qaeda. The Syrian National Coalition told ITV News they did not want British fighters to work with Syrian rebels against Assad.

A British man who says he is a fighter in Syria said there were "many reasons" to go and fight with the rebels against the Assad regime, but his main motivation was religious. Speaking on a mobile phone, he told ITV News:

"Well there are many, many reasons for me to come out here and fight...the first reason for me is not to you know to come and help the people...my first reason here is because Allah asked me in the Quran. So for me this is more of an ideological struggle. This is more about Islam for me.

"The second reason I am here, the most prominent reason is to re-establish the Islamic state. A state which is governed by the Islamic sharia, and not by the wills and desires of men.

"The third reason I would say is to be here and to support my Muslim brothers".